More than 200 die in Donetsk airport battle
2015-01-20
Posted by: badanov
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By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
A total of 200 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since Friday in the battles at the Donetsk airport, according to Russian language video and news sources.
Currently, it appears from rebel news sources that the airport and surrounding regions have been taken by rebel forces after a long campaign that began back in October, 2014, just one month after the Minsk ceasefire accord went into effect.
Rebel forces are attempting to sweep Ukrainian forces from two key towns which were used by the Ukrainians to support defensive operations at the airport, Peski and Avdievka.
Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin wrote in his Live Journal account that rebel forces control about 60 percent of Peski despite two Ukrainian counterattacks which drove rebel forces back.
A separate attack by rebel forces at Avdievka began around the same time, but little has been reported on the status of that battle by either side.
The battles to clear Peski and Avdievka are significant in that Ukrainian troops in both villages had stood firm against rebel probes and attacks since September. It is unclear, aside from the rebel effort, what changed that allowed rebel forces to eliminate the Ukrainian presence in the airport and the two positions used to support Ukrainian presence at the airport.
100 Soldiers die at the new terminal
According to a top Donetsk military official, Lt. Colonel Basurin, rebel forces had reached an agreement with some Ukrainian troops at the airport for safe passage back to their lines. Although the precise number of soldiers who left the new terminal was not disclosed, Basurin said that a munitions cache left at the new terminal was destroyed by explosion and that 100 Ukrainian regulars were killed in the explosion.
In the past, for example in the battle of Ilovaisk last summer, rebels had allowed surrounded Ukrainian forces to return to their own lines providing they leave weapons and equipment behind.
Basurin also said that the entire structure of the new terminal had been wired for detonation, and that rebel engineers were in the process of defusing those explosives.
Until last Friday, the Ukrainian occupation of the new terminal was a thorn in the side of rebel commanders who had tried repeatedly to eject Ukrainian forces from the last stronghold at the airport. Only days before, rebel tanks leveled the control tower by tank gunfire. The control tower had been used by Ukrainian forces to spot artillery strikes into Donetsk city, so its destruction may have played a role in the Ukrainian decision to abandon the new terminal.
Rebel soldiers in the nearby old terminal had been in constant contact with Ukrainian forces at the new terminal. One video shot in December showed a rebel soldier speaking about an exchange with Ukrainian forces at the airport. Apparently, those soldiers shouted to the Ukrainians, "If you think (Ukrainian president Piotr) Poroshenko is a faggot, fire once. If you think he is a cool dude, fire twice." They fired once.
Encounter at Putilovsky Bridge
According to data supplied by videos of Donetsk officials talking about the battles for the Donetsk airport, the decision to counterattack and attempt to restore the situation at the airport was made at the highest levels of the Ukrainian government.
According to Lt. Col Basurin, an official identified by Basurin as Andrey Turchinov of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council had made the decision to throw everything the Ukrainians had at the airport, presumably after some of the Ukrainian forces left.
The actual number of attacks is unknown, but going by statements made by rebel officials at least five attacks fell on rebel forces defending around the airport. According to Basurin, and a statement made by Donetsk president Aleksandr Zakharchenko, all the counterattacks failed, with what Zakharchenko characterized as "massive losses" by the Ukrainians.
According to Basurin, a total of 200 Ukrainian effectives killed in action and another 300 wounded was the butcher's bill for the Ukrainians. Equipment losses included 27 tanks and another 20 armored vehicles destroyed, with one tank captured.
Basurin said that 12 rebel effectives were killed since Friday and another 62 were wounded.
Ukrainian artillery during the counterattacks included the use of BM-21 Grad and BM-27 Urugan rocket artillery launchers, "unmatched in scale and intensity", according to Basurin.
Ukrainian forces commanders attempting to reach the airport grounds had decided to use a position near the rebel hold town of Spartak as their main route into the airport using Putilovsky bridge. Apparently, according to a video which featured the rebel commander identified as "Givi", rebel forces also had tanks at the location, which was actually a choke point with good cover for defending infantry with RPG-7 antitank rocket launchers as well as for tanks.
"Givi" said in the video even while artillery was hitting around his position, that the Ukrainian military used BM-21 as well as 152mm tube artillery for support at the bridge. The artillery hit Spartak to suppress rebel forces there, and to provide cover to breakthrough to the bridge, and the airport beyond.
"Givi" said that Ukrainian riflemen mounted aboard an APC attempted to take "ambush positions" beneath the bridge, but rebel forces struck back with RPGs. Rebel forces damaged one vehicle and then tried to outflank the Ukrainian position. Apparently, it was then the APC commander decided to mount up his riflemen and leave.
"Givi" said he took advantage of the situation and deployed a tank at the bridge, and started firing at Ukrainian forces in the area. "Givi" claimed one destroyed Ukrainian tank in the encounter. Another armored personnel carrier from his unit -- the "Somaliya" battalion -- flanked the Ukrainian positions via Spartak and opened fire as well.
According to "Givi", a second Ukrainian tank took a cover position behind the destroyed tank and attempted to flee, but was caught by RPG fire and destroyed. Ammunition cooking off from the destroyed tanks collapsed the bridge.
Ukrainian fire strikes in Donetsk, Gorlovka
Little information had been released by Ukrainian media about the battles for the Donetsk airport. The last statement issued by the Ukrainian military last Friday was that the Ukrainians had recaptured the airport, a report which has been parroted and repeated worldwide.
The rebels have claimed since Sunday that Ukrainian forces have been hitting residential areas in Donetsk and Gorlovka using artillery, and in Gorlovka using combat aircraft.
According the data supplied by the pro rebel Voices of Sevastopol, Ukrainian artillery hit several districts in Donetsk city including the Kuibyshev district, Petrovsky district, Putilovsky district, Spartak and the new terminal at the airport.
According to Lt. Col Basurin, and data supplied by Rustoday.info, Ukrainian forces used Su-24 tactical bombers against rebel positions in Gorlovka. On Sunday morning, several bombers appeared in the sky above the city and circled around for a few minutes before leaving. That evening, bombers reappeared and dropped several 500 kilogram fuel air explosive (FAE) bombs on the city.
Additionally, a massive artillery strike was launched by Ukrainian forces from their positions to the west in Mayorsk and Dzezherzinsk. Rebels say a total of 30 civilians were killed or wounded in the bombing attack, which struck an unidentified residential sector of the city.
Chris Covert writes about foreign military issues for Rantburg.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com. You can read past articles about the 2014 war in southeastern Ukraina by clicking here.
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